Ganymeder

The Price

Raquel and Thom had been married for over fifty years before their transfers took place. After a lifetime together, they transitioned to their new bodies on the New Eden colony without complication. Their brains, the only parts of their bodies that were truly irreplaceable, experienced as much rejuvenation from chemical saturation as if they had been born again. In a way, they had.

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Raquel ran to Thom, taking great, striding leaps in New Eden’s low gravity. He laughed, as she tumbled into his arms, kissing him fiercely. “Hey,” he said, once his mouth was free again, “what’s gotten into you?”

“You, hopefully,” she said, winking. “I want to test this new body out and see if we’re getting our money’s worth.” She moved close, her breasts pressed against his chest, and reached down with one slender hand. “So far, everything seems to be functioning at full capacity.” She grinned.

You’ll have your choice of several new worlds to explore…

It was no wonder. The beauty of her eighteen-year old womanhood enchanted him every bit as much as her human body had, so many years ago. The Corporation certainly had done its job well, and he could only hope she would be equally satisfied with his own renewal. Even if they offered money-back guarantees, how could any body compete with fifty years of companionship? Whatever form she was preserved in, as long as her mind was there, he was happy.

And you’ll discover a whole new lease on life!

The solution in every android’s head cavity nurtured the human brain housed within its walls – cushioned by soft membranes, yet protected by the nearly indestructable artificial body. Sensors placed throughout the synthetic epidermis mimicked the sensation of human skin. Electronic eyes and ears relayed information to the biological components of the brain.

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As Thom held Raquel’s new body, he felt every bit as close to her as he had when she had been young and fully human. The eyes that looked into his own mirrored the ones he’d fallen in love with fifty years ago. The lips he kissed gave the same gentle resistance he’d remembered. Was it too much to hope for another fifty years?

You’ll see things from an entirely different perspective!

Housed within her synthetic body, Jenn felt the press of the man she’d desired for as long as she could remember. Bribing the surgeon to dispose of her sister’s brain and substitute her own had cost her life savings; but this was the opportunity of a lifetime.

After all, wasn’t love worth the price?

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I hope you enjoyed the story. Polite feedback, positive and otherwise, is always appreciated. Thank you for your time, and have a lovely week!

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The man sat cold and still, just as they had trained him.

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The men, impatient to get on the trail of the Patchwork Kid, sat quietly in their saddles and contemplated using their guns.

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Play or download episode *here*

Welcome to My Writing Niche, a podcast for new writers. I’ll read my latest piece of flash fiction, Prom, and talk a little about my current projects.

Thank you, as always, for your time. Polite feedback is both welcomed and appreciated. Have a lovely week.

**image courtesy of hiddedevries via Flicker.

***Slow Burn from the album Blues Sampler courtesy of Kevin MacLeod via Creative Commons Attribution license. More of his music can be found at FreeMusicArchive.org or at http://incompetech.com.

Dumbstruck, Carl stared at the night sky.

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Eric J. Krause tagged me in his Lucky Seven list, a fun game for writers; so I thought I’d take a shot at playing. Here are the rules.

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1. Go to page 77 in your current manuscript
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next seven lines as they are – no cheating
4. Tag 7 other authors (Done on Facebook)

I wasn’t sure if #4 meant 7 sentences or just the next 7 lines. I just copied the next 7 lines of text on page 77 of my 2nd draft, so it ends mid-sentence. Keep ‘em wanting more; right? Anyway, here is my 7-line excerpt from my YA Fantasy Pegasi Don’t Sleep or Bobby Stalwart Saves the World

In the meantime, Medusa fussed over her son and gave them fresh supplies. The boy could only hope that they would have no cause to need them all. She had packed enough in the small satchel to last weeks. Like so much else about her house, the bag was magical, enabling its owner to carry an indefinite amount of goods while only weighing about a pound.

Ever since Bobby’s discovery in the library, he had sought to

And you can read the rest after (at least) one or two more drafts, when I’ve gotten a fabulous agent and book deal, and I am living on a tropical island populated by adoring fans.

Now, since I’ve avoided working on my novel today by talking about it instead, I should probably do some actual work. Those adoring fans aren’t going to write the novel for me!

Bess kept her eyes firmly on the horizon, trying not to think of where Jack’s eyes had wandered.

*image courtesy of National Media Museum via Flickr. No known copyright restrictions.

Play or download episode *here*

Welcome to My Writing Niche, a podcast for new writers. I’ll read my latest piece of flash fiction, What Really Happened to Juliet, and talk a little about my current projects.

Thank you, as always, for your time. Polite feedback is both welcomed and appreciated. Have a lovely week.

**image courtesy of hiddedevries via Flicker.

***Slow Burn from the album Blues Sampler courtesy of Kevin MacLeod via Creative Commons Attribution license. More of his music can be found at FreeMusicArchive.org or at http://incompetech.com.

What Really Happened to Juliet

Juliet Capulet had always hated her name.

A rose by any other name would never smell as sweet if it had been fertilized with the crap her family inflicted on her. She was dying to escape, when the soft-brained Romeo offered to take her away from it all. Sure, he had the attention span of a spaniel, but he was easily as cute and trainable. She could land a new life and piss off her parents in the process. And according to the Friar, all she had to do was swallow one little pill.

What the hell? she thought, I’ve done worse. I’ve already slept with the enemy; I’m aiding my cousin’s killer. How could things get any worse?

So she did the deed, took the drug, and slept the sleep of the seemingly dead for days.

The Friar, their secret conspirator, sent the boy a message telling him of the drug-induced sleep – a scam sure to fool both sets of parents. Unfortunately, Romeo never checked his mail. The newspaper headline sent him running to his lover’s tomb to kiss her frozen lips and take his own life.

Stupid kid.

The grieving parents interred his bones with that of his beloved, consoling themselves that at least the lovers were united in death.

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Fair Juliet awoke entwined within her lover’s arms, screaming from the cold flesh that had stiffened around her, banging at the wooden lid of their shared coffin, and wondering how much longer her new life would last.

THE END

As always, polite feedback, both critical or otherwise, is appreciated. An audio version of this flash will be available on my podcast, My Writing Niche, this Sunday. Thank you, and have a lovely week.

*image courtesy of Fylkesarkivet i Sogn og Fjordane (photo by Paul Stang) via Flickr. No known copyright restrictions.

Compared to Phyllis, Medusa and the other gorgons got off lucky.

*image courtesy of Cornell University Library via Flickr. No known copyright restrictions.